[0l]

The catch however is that this can cause (relatively) high resistive loading, so isn't really suitable for all applications.

[jjoonathan]

It really is suitable for most transmission line applications, though, because transmission line impedance is a fixed target. Top-shelf 20-30GHz probes use this exact technique as their "front end" followed by a 50/100 ohm amplifier to lock in the noise figure:

https://www.tek.com/en/datasheet/trimode%28tm%29-probe-famil...

[cushychicken]

True - but those are the exceptions, not the rule.

Most modern systems aren’t discrete transistor amplifiers where an arbitrary 1k to gnd will massively affect bias point or circuit operation.

For digital interfaces, or power supplies below ~24V, it’s a great high bandwidth probe option. Much cheaper than active probes too.